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August 9, 11 am at Cecil Restaurant in the middle of Seoul, a press conference was held for the “60th Anniversary of Liberation, North Korea Human Rights Declaration.”
In the press conference, the leaders of the declarations including Han Kim Hong, President of Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights(NKnet), Kim Sung Min, Director of Free North Korea Broadcasting, Kim Tae Jin, Co-director of Democracy Network against North Korean Gulag, Do Hee Yun, Executive Director of Citizen’s Coalition for Human Rights of Abductees and North Korean Refugees, Ryu Kun Il, Journalist, Shin Ji Ho, Director of Liberty Union, Lee Mi Il, Chief Director of Korean War Inductee’s Family Union, Jo Jung Kun, Executive Director of Citizens United for Better Society, Choi Woo Young, President, Families of Abducted and Detained in North Korea, Han Sung Jin, President of Korea Christian Reformation Movement(arrangement) participated.
Shin Ji Ho, director of Liberty Union explained the background of giving out the declaration as, “On June 23, the members of various organizations gathered to discuss about what we must do on the meaningful day of the 60th anniversary of the liberation, and in conclusion we decided to conduct a campaign to obtain signatures for the North Korean Human Rights Declaration.”
The declaration was produced by Citizens United for Better Society, Liberty Union, NKnet, and was distributed last month to obtain the signatures. It includes signatures of 214 people including Kim Mun Soo and Na Kyung Won, the assemblymen of the Grand National Party.
Intentional Ignorance by the Government toward North Korea Human Rights Must not be Tolerated
Mr. Shin explained, “Although the time allowed to obtain signatures was short, it calls for an end to government acts, especially after the National Human Rights Commission of Korea conducted a research on North Korean human rights situation and evaded to publish it intentionally.”
“A bill on North Korea human rights is underway in the US and Japan, and the UN passed a resolution on North Korean human rights for the third time this year. However, South Korea, which should be taking the most active measures, is intentionally ignoring the matter, which we can no longer tolerate. After the declaration, we will take prominent actions for the adoption of a bill on North Korean human rights and will make a petition based on the bill,” president Shin added.
Ryu Kun Il, the producer of the declaration said, “We know there are many good events held for the 60th anniversary of the liberation, but I believe among them all the improvement of North Korean human rights is the most serious our people face today.” He added, “I urge for people’s attention for Kim Jong Il’s “human rights killing” (inhumane) policies.”
Mr. Ryu also emphasized the importance of the declaration by saying, “this (the declaration) will be a step toward the civil movement which have been scattered here and there toward the North Korean human rights.”
About the intellectuals in South Korea who tend to silence about the matter of North Korean human rights, Mr. Ryu criticized them by saying, “they are showing typical cowardliness of not being able to speak out the truth because of their lack of awareness and political reasons.”
The heat for the North Korean human rights will be carried on by the “North Korea Human Rights Improvement Urging Conference” on August 11, for the celebration of 60th anniversary of the Korean liberation. It will be held in Baekbum Memorial Building, conventional hall, located in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
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North Korean Human Rights Declaration on the Ceremonial Day of 60th Anniversay of Kwangbok (liberation of Korea) We stand here with burning anger and irresistible grudge to take a part in the eradication of such horrifying human rights situation of our brethren in the North. In this very moment our brethren in the North are dying vomiting blood in the forced labor detention camps, torture rooms, public execution sites, underground prisons. The entire North Korean land is a huge prison, a real site of fear and surveillance, betrayal and massacre. Auschwitz and Arkhipelag Gulag of Siberia is undeniably living again on the Korean peninsula of 21st Century. The world of today is moving toward freedom, democracy, human rights and rule of law. However, Kim Jong Il is denying this proud trend. This is because freedom, democracy, human rights and rule of law will lead to the collapse of his absolutism. For a permanent dictatorship, Kim Jong Il muted mouths and ears, blinded the eyes, chained the bodies, and even took away the right to not die of hunger from the people. Freedom of media, publication, meeting, conscience, belief are unthinkable and even the basic right of life is an empty fantasy for the people of North Korea. We can no longer be observers to this horrifying reality of North Korea. We cannot ignore the bloody screams of our brethren in the North anymore. It is a suicidal act of abandoning our conscience and morality for us to silence about the North Korean human rights. We seriously worry about part of our society’s disinterest and ignorance toward the North Korean human rights. For this reason we now boldly stand. We are here to throw away passivity and ignorance and to light the torch of justice for the improvement of human conditions of the brethren in the North. World people’s alliance to get rid of Kim Jong Il’s absolutism has already started. Facing this international movement, Kim Jong Il regime’s human killing policies will be publicized as inhuman, uncivilized, un-unifying, and un-nationalistic crimes. Under such awareness we urge the following to the Kim Jong Il regime, our people, different political sectors and the international society. I. Kim Jong Il must immediate stop all sorts of fear-creating politics and violence against the North Korean people. The North Korean Party and the military cadres must not devote themselves to the killer Kim Jong Il, but to the dying people. II. The government must pay a sincere interest in the North Korean human rights. It must come out of the wrong belief that North Korean human rights issue must be silenced, and it must adopt the human rights issues of North Korean people and defectors, and POWs as the main agenda. III. All the people of the nation must engrave the sufferings and violence against the other half of us as the suffering of us all, and must volunteer to the emergency actions to rescue the North Korean people from their tribulation. IV. Each political sectors must realize that there is no right-left, conservative-progressive difference in the effort for the North Korean human rights improvement, and must immediately take governmental actions for the North Korean human rights such as adoption of North Korea Human Rights Act, and discussions between the political sector and the civil society. V. Those who say they strive for democracy and human rights but silence about North Korean human rights must retrospect. They must participate for the new just movement for the North Korean human rights instead of creating more room for silence. VI. The governments, assemblies, civil society, religious groups, intellectuals and international organizations must recognize that the North Korean human rights situation is no different from the inhumane crimes of Nazis’ Holocaust, or Stalin, and must rapidly come up with a measure to resist again Kim Jong Il’s massacre. The crises on the Korean peninsula including the nuclear problem have basis on the tyranny of Kim Jong Il. We will fight with all our means until the last moment to heal the human devastation of our brethren in the North caused by Kim Jong Il. August 9, 2005 |
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[List of Signers]
Leading Signers
Kang Chul Hwan, Co-director, Democracy Network against North Korean Gulag
Kim Dong Ik, Former President of JoongAng Daily
Kim Sung Ki, Lawyer, Co-Representative of Citizens United for Better Society
Kim Sung Min, Director, Free North Korea Broadcasting
Kim Young Ho, Professor, Managing director of New Right Think Net
Kim Chung Ho, President, Center for Free Enterprise
Do Hee Yun, Executive Director, Citizen’s Coalition for Human Rights of Abductees and North Korean Refugees
Ryoo Kun Il, Former Chief Editor, The ChoSun Ilbo
Park Hyo Jong, Professor, President, Kyogwaseo(Schoolbook) Forum
Bok Geo Il, Novelist
Song Byong Lak, Professor, Co-Representative of Citizens United for Better Society
Shin Ji Ho, Director, Liberty Union
Yoo Se Hee, Professor, Co-Representative of Citizens United for Better Society
Yun Chang Hyun, Professor, Secretary general of Citizens United for Better Society
Lee Du Ah, Lawyer
Lee Mi Il, Chief Director, Korean War Inductee’s Family Union
Lee Hyong Bok, Doctor, President of Medical Care & Society Forum
Jo Jeon Hyuk, Professor, President of Liberty Educational Campaign
Choi Woo Young, President, Families of Abducted and Detained in North Korea
Han Ki Hong, President, Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights
Han Sang Jin, Pastor, President, Korea Christian Reformation Movement(arrangement)
Hwang Jang Yop, Chairman, North Korean Democratization Union
Assemblyman Signers
Kim Ki Hyun, Kim Mun Soo, Kim Jae Won, Na Kyung Won, Shim Jae Chul, Yoo Sung Min, Lee Ge Jin, Joo Ho Young
Signers
Kang Suk Hun, Kang Sun Woo, Kang Young Hun, Kang Ho Chil, Kang Hun, Kwak Dae Jung, Ku Young Seo, Kweon Dae Bong, Kweon Oh Joo, Kweon Eun Kyoung, Kwwon Hyuk Chul, Kim Ge Chul, Kim Kwang Kun, Kim Kwang Dong, Kim Kwang Myung, Kim Kyo Hyun, Kim Gil Sung, Kim Da Eun, Kim Dong Ki, Kim Min Ho, Kim Bae Kyun, Kim Byung Joo, Kim Sang Heon, Kim Seong Ho, Kim Sung Ho, Kim Shin Il, Kim Shin Ja, Kim Young Sung, Kim Young Sun, Kim Young Hwan, Kim Ok Sun, Kim Yong Jun, Kim Yong Jik, Kim Woo Jeong, Kim Won Shik, Kim Yun Tae, Kim Eun Chul, Kim Il Seob, Kim Il Young, Kim Jae Han, Kim Jeong Man, Kim Jeong Soo, Kim Jong Kyu, Kim Jong Suk, King Jong Heon, Kim Ji Hye, Kim Jin Hyun, Kim Tae Ryun, Kim Tae Jin, Kim Hyun, Kim Hong Kwan, Namgung Ho Sam, Nam Duk Woo, Nan Eun Woo, Nan Jung Gu, No Kyung Won, No Boo Ho, La Eun Sung, Ryoo Byung Won, Park Gwang Il, Park Sang Hak, Park Sang Ho, Park Sung Jo, Park Yang Dong, Park Jong Woo, Park Jong Hun, Park Ho Sung, Park Ho Jin, Bae Jae Hyun, Bae Ho Sun, Byun Hwa Sun, Bong Doo Wan, Sa Gong Il, Sung Jae Ho, Shon Kwang Joo, Song Kun Jong, Song Bok, Song Jeong Suk, Shin Eun Young, Shin Il Chul, Shin Joo Hyun, Shim Yong Shik, Shim Joo Il, An Kyoung Hee, Ahn Kwang Moo, Ahn dong Il, Ahn Myung Chul, Ahn Byung Hun, Ahn Suk Jun, Ahn Yong Hang, Ahn Jong Beom, Oh Kyong Sob, Oh Se Chang, Woo Bong Shik, Yoo Min Bong, Yoo Suk Chun, Yoo Woo Ik, Yoo Jae Chun, Yoo Jong Tak, Yoo Hyun Soo, Yun Nam Hun, Lee Kyung Chan, Lee Kwang Baek, Lee Kil Yong, Lee Nam Jeong, Lee Dae Young, Lee Dong Hyun, Lee Myen Woo, Lee Myung Seob, Lee Myung Hee, Lee Byung Sung, Lee Bo Lam, Lee Sang Kweon, Lee Sang Don, Lee Sang Wan, Lee Sang Il, Lee Saeng Gang, Lee Sung Oui, Lee Sung Ho, Lee Sung Jin, Lee Young Guk, Lee Young Jin, Lee Young Hun, Lee Woo Sang, Lee Won Soo, Lee Jang Hyun, Lee Jae Kyo, Lee Jeong Suk, Lee Jun Ki, Lee Ji Soo, Lee Chang Kun, Lee Hae Young, Lee Heon, Lee He Kyung, Lee Hun Gu, Im Gu Il, Lim So Jeong, Lim Hyang Ja, Lim Hyuk, Jang In Suk, Jeong Sang In, Jeon Woo Hyun, Jeon Ho Jin, Jeong Gyui Ho, Jeong Sung Hwa, Jeong Sung Won, Jeong Jin Young, Jeong Ho Beom, Je Sung Ho, Jo Dong Kun, Jo Sung Hwan, Jo Young Ki, Jo Jong Ik, Jo Jung Kun, Jo Hee Moon, Joo Ho Young, Cha Kyung Suk, Cha Ki Hwan, Cha Sang Chul, Che Kyu Man, Choi Do Wan, Choi Byong Il, Choi Bong Il, Choi Sung Yong, Choi young No, Choi Yun Shik, Choi Chang Kyu, Choi Hong Jae, Choi Hee Seob, Han Young Tak, Han Yong Jin, Ham In Hee, Huh Kwang Il, Huh Yoo Jeong, Huh Chang Geol, Huh Hyun Jun, Hong Sung Joo, Hong Sun Kyong, Hong Jin Pyo, Hwang Lan Shim, Hwang Bo Hyuk, Hwang Yong Kyun, Hwang Jae Il(214 People)
